You just got a text from your best friend raving about the new Minecraft biomes they just explored, and they want you to log on to check out their new base built inside a giant cave. You load up your game, only to get hit with a version mismatch error that won’t let you join their world. This frustration is way more common than you’d think, especially if you have automatic updates turned off for your games. If you’re in this spot right now, learning how to update Minecraft Bedrock on PC is the simple fix you need to get back to playing in minutes. We’re going to walk through every step for every popular launcher, plus fix the most common errors that stop updates from installing correctly.
How to Update Minecraft Bedrock on PC for Every Common Launcher
The exact update steps depend on which launcher you use to play Minecraft Bedrock, and most of the time, updates will install automatically if you don’t have restrictions turned on. If you’ve never had to manually trigger an update before, these steps for how to update Minecraft Bedrock on PC will work every time, no matter which launcher you prefer. The process takes less than five minutes for each launcher type, and we’ll cover the three most common options people use for Bedrock on PC. First, if you use the Microsoft Store version: Open the Microsoft Store app, click the library icon in the bottom left corner, then select “Get updates” at the top of the library page. The store will scan all your installed apps for updates, and Minecraft Bedrock will pop up if a new version is available. Click update, and wait for the process to finish before launching the game. You can leave the store running in the background while you do other things if you don’t want to wait around for it to finish. If you use the official Minecraft Launcher that you downloaded directly from the Minecraft website: Open the launcher, make sure you’re signed into the Microsoft account linked to your Bedrock copy, and select the “Bedrock Edition” option from the left sidebar. The launcher will automatically scan for updates as soon as you open it, and you’ll see an “Update” button next to the play button if a new version is available. You don’t have to do anything extra except click the button and wait for the install to complete. If you play through the Xbox PC app: Open the Xbox app, click “My Library” on the left sidebar, find Minecraft Bedrock in your list of installed games, and click the three dots next to the game name. Select “Manage”, then go to the “Updates” tab. If an update is available, it will show up here, and you can click “Update” to start the process. The Xbox app will often download updates in the background if you have that setting turned on, so you may not even have to take this step most of the time.
Troubleshooting Common Minecraft Bedrock Update Failures
Sometimes updates won’t install even when you follow the steps correctly, and that’s almost always tied to a simple fix you can do on your own in a few minutes. I’ve run into this issue a handful of times over the years, usually when I’ve paused system updates to avoid interruptions during work projects. Before you try anything more complicated, run through this quick list of fixes that resolve 90% of update errors for most players:
- Free up at least 5 GB of available storage on your primary drive before starting the update process. Minecraft Bedrock updates are usually 1-3 GB, but you need extra space for the installer to unpack files properly without running into errors.
- Install all pending Windows OS updates first, as outdated system files often block game updates from installing correctly. You can find these in the Windows Update section of your system settings, and most only take a few minutes to install.
- Sign out and back into your Microsoft/Xbox account linked to your Minecraft copy. Sometimes account authentication glitches stop you from accessing new update files, and a quick sign out and sign in fixes that instantly.
- Verify your game file integrity through your launcher to fix corrupted data that stops updates. For the official Minecraft launcher, this option is under the “Advanced” settings for Bedrock Edition, and it only takes a minute to run the scan.
What to Do Before and After Updating Minecraft Bedrock on Your PC
Most people just click update without thinking about the small steps that can save you from losing hours of hard work on your worlds. The first and most important step you should take before running any update is creating a full world backup of all your saved games. You can do this by opening Minecraft Bedrock, going to the world list, clicking the edit button next to each world, and selecting “Export World”. Save these exports to a separate drive or cloud storage, so you can restore them if something goes wrong during the update. After the update finishes installing, launch the game once to confirm the version number matches the latest public release. You can find the version number in the bottom left corner of the main menu screen. If it matches the latest version listed on the official Minecraft website, you’re good to go. Next, test loading each of your saved worlds to make sure there are no corrupted chunks or missing content. It’s rare, but sometimes older worlds have glitches when loaded on a new game version, so it’s better to catch that early before you play for hours and make the problem worse. If you use custom texture packs, skin packs, or add-ons, test those too. Older add-ons often break with new game updates, so you may need to download updated versions of your favorite packs from their creators. I once updated immediately when the 1.20 Trails & Tales update dropped, only to realize my favorite 3D texture pack wasn’t compatible yet, so all my builds looked like they were made of missing texture blocks for a week until the pack creator released an update. Now I always check for pack updates before I install the new game version.
Key Reasons to Keep Your Minecraft Bedrock PC Version Up to Date
You might be tempted to skip updates if you’re happy with your current game version, but there are a lot of good reasons to install updates as soon as they’re available. The most obvious one is access to new content, including new biomes, mobs, blocks, and gameplay features that Mojang releases every few months. Skipping updates means you’ll miss out on all that new content, and you won’t be able to join friends who are playing on the latest version. It’s not uncommon for new updates to add completely new game mechanics that change how you play, so you don’t want to be left behind. Cross-play compatibility is another big reason to stay updated. Minecraft Bedrock lets you play with friends on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and mobile, but only if everyone is on the same game version. If you’re two updates behind, you won’t be able to join any cross-play worlds or servers, even if they’re hosted by your friends. That’s the number one reason most people end up searching for update steps in the first place, usually right after they get that annoying version mismatch error when trying to join a friend’s world. Updates also fix hundreds of small bugs and glitches that make the game less fun to play. These can range from minor annoyances like mobs spawning in the wrong areas, to game-breaking bugs that delete chunks of your world or cause constant lag. Mojang releases patch notes for every update, so you can see exactly which bugs are fixed if you’re curious. Some updates also add performance improvements that make the game run smoother on older PCs, so you might get better frame rates just by installing the latest patch. Finally, updates include important security patches that protect you when you’re joining public multiplayer servers. There are rare but real exploits that target outdated Minecraft clients, and running the latest version ensures you’re protected against all known security risks. This is especially important if you join a lot of random public servers that you don’t know the owners of, as some bad actors will use exploits to target players on old game versions.
At the end of the day, learning how to update Minecraft Bedrock on PC doesn’t have to be a confusing or time-consuming process. Even if you run into a stubborn error that stops the update from installing, the simple fixes we covered will get you back up and running in no time. Don’t skip the pre-update world backup step, even if you think nothing will go wrong, because it only takes a minute and can save you from losing months of work on your favorite builds. Next time you see a new Minecraft update announcement pop up, you’ll know exactly what to do to install it quickly and safely, so you can jump straight into all the new content with your friends.